Overused Silly Sci-Fi Science.

[altworld]

Originally Posted by Steven Lyle Jordan

Only Apple?

I used them as an example due to there attempt to control the content available to users of the iPhone, plus they have made the full journey from benevolent rebel to authoritarian establishment within the last twenty five years.

Frankly I wouldn't want any software as an interface for my brain functions nor would I want to put my brain the net... Although for sci-fi trope it leads to many different and social commentary story lines.
Arigato,
Nick Davis

[Freeshadow]

What I meant was natural development no implants involved.
As far as the implant tech idea is concerned we don't need to look far it's ben done by Gibson which makes it a cyberspace SF classical motive now.

[altworld]

Ahh... The evolving human concept... Or have we met the state of our full evolution and developing with AI the next step in life?

[Penforhire]

Seems like we're in a race to see if the "singularity" is our next big step or radical genetic modification (starting with "make sure our baby is a boy" or "give her blonde hair"). Longer healthier lifespan is surely on the potential list and I see a possibility we'll be able to transfer our "self" to a cloned body/brain sooner than we can completely upload.

But who knows? Alien vampires will probably land and make us all their cattle before then...

[altworld]

As long as those Alien Vampires don't sparkle I for one will welcome our new Overlords :P

[sabredog]

Nahhhh, the common cold will get 'em

[QuantumIguana]

One possible pitfall with genetic modification of humans is a reduction in genetic diversity. The modified children may have great advantages, especially is employers see the modified as better employees. It could start an "arms race" with everyone feeling that they needed to get their children modified just to have a chance in life.

With such an arms race, who is going to pick the second best get of genes? They would pick the genes that give their children the maximum advantage, and this could make the population dangerously homogeneous.

The danger there is that we could all have the same susceptibility to disease, and could make epidemics much more severe.

[andyh2000]

Originally Posted by QuantumIguana

The danger there is that we could all have the same susceptibility to disease, and could make epidemics much more severe.

Ah, but you edit out susceptability to disease.

Andrew

[aecardenas]

the BBC series Red Dwarf did a great job at making a mockery of every conceivable sci-fi trope that had been established by Star Trek and other sci fi series. My all time favorite is when they are about to go into battle, and Rimmer says "Go to red alert." And Kryten says, "Are you absolutely sure, sir? It does mean changing the bulb."

[Steven Lyle Jordan]

Originally Posted by altworld

Ahh... The evolving human concept... Or have we met the state of our full evolution and developing with AI the next step in life?

Artificially-induced evolutionary acceleration may be the answer to developing things like telepathy... if we ever figure out how to do it biologically (and without examples in nature to use as examples, I still have my doubts that it is possible).

Originally Posted by QuantumIguana

One possible pitfall with genetic modification of humans is a reduction in genetic diversity. The modified children may have great advantages, especially is employers see the modified as better employees. It could start an "arms race" with everyone feeling that they needed to get their children modified just to have a chance in life.

But that's only a 1-2-generation problem. Once the children who have the improved genes start breeding, the traits will spread.

(Unless Monsanto is involved; in which case, each genetic improvement will not be passable onto the next generation without paying for a new genetic procedure...)

[ProjeKtWEREWOLF]

I'm surprised that Warhammer 40K has been mentioned so few times! It fits the bill to many of these issues perfectly:
Massively long range navy type space engagements
Armies of genetically (over)engineered supersoldiers
Psychics- telepaths etc
Warp travel - a weird hyperspace pulsated by sentient beings
Daemons, aliens, cultists etc
Dystopian future- stagnant empire ruled by a mostly dead Emperor

I love it.

[QuantumIguana]

There is no such thing as susceptibility to disease, there is only resistance to disease, and this is an important distinction. People don't get sick because they have a susceptibility to disease, but because they lack resistance to disease.

You could put in resistance to certain diseases, but you can't get everything, and diseases mutate. People didn't die of the Black Death because they were weak, they died because they had the bad luck to get hit with something they lacked resistance to. The less genetically diverse a population is, the greater the chance that an epidemic can spread like wildfire.

[altworld]

Originally Posted by aecardenas

the BBC series Red Dwarf did a great job at making a mockery of every conceivable sci-fi trope that had been established by Star Trek and other sci fi series. My all time favorite is when they are about to go into battle, and Rimmer says "Go to red alert." And Kryten says, "Are you absolutely sure, sir? It does mean changing the bulb."

One of the best lines of the series and the ultimate sci-fi trope piss take, everything going red when red alert happens

[aecardenas]

Originally Posted by altworld

As long as those Alien Vampires don't sparkle I for one will welcome our new Overlords :P

I prefer the alien vampires from the movie Lifeforce: nude and looks like Mathilda May.

[dworth]

WH40K is without doubt one of the darkest, grimmest, most violent sci-fi dystopias around. Also: in the grim darkness of the far future, everybody is British! I love it.

"stagnant empire ruled by a mostly dead Emperor"

Mind your treasonous words, heretic!